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ETA Associates - Application Note June 2011
Four Ways to Reduce Your Energy Costs From ETA Associates
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In these days of heightened energy costs and increased awareness of energy conservation, it is more important than ever to maintain and monitor equipment to keep costs under control and conserve energy.
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Tuning boilers to run more efficiently – Whether solid fuel, gas or electric powered, a correctly tuned boiler will run more efficiently and use less energy. A heating service technician or installer using the correct equipment will ensure that a boiler is running correctly. The benefits of a correctly tuned
system are:
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To verify the safety of the boiler prior to and after service
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To calculate the combustion efficiency of the boiler
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To determine the amount of pollution the boiler is producing
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To review operation in conformance with the manufacturer's guidelines
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To assess equipment longevity/warranty issues (eg. Improper fuel pressure or airflow settings may cause excessive CO production, or burned out heat exchangers, etc.)
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A BTU meter can be incorporated with most existing building management or monitoring systems to measure Flow Rate, Flow Total, Energy Rate, Energy Total, Temperatures and Temperature Differential. This allows better management of energy use in large buildings as well as apartment complexes, campuses,
facilities, shopping centers, and office parks. These meters can also provide results for use in different building areas or buildings. Both tenants and landlords can benefit from knowing the actual energy usage of a space instead of having energy costs allocated based on a square footage basis.
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Ventilation control – Ventilating, heating and cooling are some of the biggest consumers of energy. By measuring and analyzing gases and particles in the air, ventilation rates can be dynamically adjusted based on outputs from these analytical systems, resulting in dramatic savings. Common areas where these
systems can be effectively implements are labs, animal research facilities, universities, hospitals, and offices located beside or near manufacturing plants.
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Efficient steam heat system - A simple program of surveying steam traps to ensure they are operating properly can save significant amounts of energy. If steam is used in a process, a survey can also reduce production downtime costs. According to the Department of Energy, in steam systems that have not been maintained for
3 to 5 years, 15% to 30% of the installed steam traps may have failed—thus allowing live steam to escape into the condensate return system. This adds up to 20% of steam generated being wasted through failed-open steam traps. One example is that a single failed-open 1/8” diameter orifice steam trap, operating at 150 psi with a cost of steam at $15/1,000 lbs of steam can waste up to $27.28/day or $818.64/month or $9,823.68/year.
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ETA Associates
119 Foster Street, Bldg #6, Peabody, MA 01960
Tel: (978) 532-1330, Fax: (978) 532-7325
www.etaassociates.com eta@etaassociates.com
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